1. Reflect on your current assessment practices. How have you been determining what students understand and what they are able to do? Students are assessed daily whether it be verbal or written. The majority of the work students do is graded because I feel that this is a better representation of what they know versus a culminating test at the end of a unit. Some students have difficulty performing on tests so having more classwork gives these students more opportunities to show me that they know the material.
There are times when class ends and I tell myself "That went great! They really caught on quick" and then I will look at their work for that day and they will have completely missed what the day's objectives were. It can sometimes be frustrating to feel like the students are responding to your questions throughout the lesson very well and then are unable to put it in writing.
These are some reasons why it's necessary to take a step back after the day is done and say "Did they get it?". This is necessary because the following day's lesson depends on it! If they aren't on the same page as you have planned/hoped then you must backtrack and get them on the same page. Otherwise they will just continue to fall more and more behind to the point where they will feel like it is impossible to catch up and possibly give up and check out.
I have assessed their classwork daily and have tried 3,2,1 exit slips which are helpful but must be timed correctly. If students feel rushed to complete them in order to get out of class then they are less likely to fill them out thoughtfully. When they are given ample time to complete them it is a great tool for students to sum up the day and reflect. Just as this is helpful for students, it also helps me as a teacher quickly see who is checked in and who may need redirection/more instruction.
Good.
2. Describe the concept(s) that you are trying to assess in these assignments. Include a link to the appropriate GSE(s) on RIScienceTeachers. Be sure to include in your description your definition, examples of what it is, why students have difficulty with this concept, and why it is important that you teach this topic For my informal assessment, I created a food web assignment where students were required to compare and contrast various vocabulary terms using Venn diagrams, create two food chains using a group of animals given to them, and to create a large food web again with a group of animals given to them. Students were required to label each organism with its appropriate feeding relationship title [primary producer, primary consumer, etc.].
GSE-Informal Assessment LS2 (9-11)–4 Students demonstrate an understanding of matter and energy flow in an ecosystem by …
4a diagramming the energy flow in an ecosystem that compares the energy at different trophic levels. (e.g. What inferences can you make about energy “loss”& use?).
For my formal assessment, I created a test on ecology that focused on feeding relationships, population dynamics, ecological pyramids, cycles, climate change, and global warming. The test was comprised of a variety of style questions: multiple choice, matching, short answer, and essays.
GSE's Formal Assessment LS2 (9-11)-3 Students demonstrate anunderstanding of equilibrium in an ecosystemby … 3b describing ways in whichhumans can modify ecosystems and describe andpredict the potential impact (e.g. human populationgrowth; technology; destruction of habitats;agriculture; pollution; and atmospheric changes).
LS2 (9-11)–4
Students demonstrate anunderstanding of matter and energy flow in an ecosystemby … 4a diagramming the energyflow in an ecosystem that compares the energy atdifferent trophic levels. (e.g. What inferences can you makeabout energy “loss”& use?). 4b explaining how the chemical elements andcompounds that make up living things pass through foodwebs and are combined and recombined in different ways(e.g. nitrogen, carbon cycles, O2, & H2O cycles). 3. (and 7) Describe an informal assessment that you selected, modified, or designed to address this concept. Summarize the instructions you gave your students and Include a link to the informal assessment here as well.
'What A Tangled Web We Weave' is an informal assignment designed to assess students understanding of feeding relationships between various organisms, how energy flows through an ecosystem, and how to construct a food chain and food web when given a group of organisms.
The first part of the activity required students to create various Venn diagrams comparing vocabulary terms related to ecosystems and types of organisms [autotroph vs. heterotroph]. Attached to the assignment were a group of pictures of animals where students had to cut them out and arrange and paste them onto a poster board: on one side of the poster students had to arrange two separate food chains and on the other side, one large food web. After pasting the pictures, students had to label each organism with either producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, or tertiary consumer.
4. (and 8) Create a formal assessment. Describe this assessment, including concepts, types of items, and how it was assessed. Include a link to a copy of the assessment here as well. I designed a test on ecology that focused on feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem, population dynamics, cycles, ecological pyramids, climate change, and global warming. The test mainly focused on feeding relationships and climate change because those were the topics that we spent more time on during the unit. The test was comprised of a variety of style questions: multiple choice, matching, short answer, and essays. I designed the essays in a way that wouldn't seem intimidating to students. Throughout school, I always felt like the essay portion of tests were intimidating because it begins with one large paragraph of questions and it's easy to miss questions when writing your response. When I wrote the essays, I gave students 3 options of questions and they were required to answer 2. For each question, I broke it up into multiple parts so when they were recording their answers, it would be easier for them to remember to answer each part of the question. This in turn would give them more opportunities to gain full credit since the essay questions were worth the most points on the test.
6. Develop the evaluation criteria (or key) for your informal assessment or link it here. This description should include the assessment's features, how it addresses different **depths of knowledge**, as well as an explanation of how it addresses a **scientific practice related to inquiry**.
Assessment Features: This assessment required students to apply the knowledge they learned concerning the biosphere, feeding relationships, and how energy is transferred. The start of the activity had students create Venn diagrams with various vocabulary terms. This was also a great study tool for students for the quiz and test on Ecology because they could quickly review these diagrams. Once students completed the diagrams, they had to arrange various organisms into two food chains. This helped to ease students into the process of thinking about what certain organisms eat/how they get energy. This was crucial that students understood how the food chain worked before moving onto the food web. The food chain is a simple, singular path of energy versus the complex, multiple paths of energy in a food web. To help students understand how the food chain works, they drew various shapes around certain organisms so they could visually see how it is arranged. For example, the producers had circles around them, primary consumers a square. Once students mastered the concept of a food chain, they created a food web with a large variety of organisms. Students were sometimes puzzled on what a certain organism ate. They knew these organisms but never really questioned what they ate [What does a goldfish eat?]. Another common misconception was the way the energy transferred. In a food chain/web, energy transfer is shown by an arrow. The misconception is that the arrow points to the organism it's eating when in fact it points to the organism that's GETTING the energy. Once students had practice with this concept [in the food chain] they were able to apply it and practice it over and over again in the food web. Students worked in a relaxed setting by cutting, pasting, coloring, and working together but creating their own posters. At the end of the activity students completed a series of discussion questions and realized just how complicated an ecosystem can be! Depths of Knowledge:This assessment covered a variety of depths of knowledge from recall/reproduction to strategic thinking. Students started off the activity by creating Venn diagrams which was simply seeing if they remembered the vocabulary terms and having them refer back to their notes if they did not. This was put into the assignment solely for student benefit as a refresher/study aide. When students had to create the food chain and web this became more demanding than students expected. Questioning where to put which organism, which way the energy was transferred, and which type of feeding relationship it could be considered as. Even when students felt confident in their placement of the organisms, they realized that certain organisms should be closer to one another for easier arrow placement. When students had trouble thinking of what a certain organism ate [ex: goldfish-because it is so domesticated now], I encouraged them to think of the environment the organism lived in and what it could possibly eat. If this did not probe them, they could use the computers in the classroom as a resource. This was one factor of the assignment where students became most curious. Also, the discussion questions have a variety of depths of knowledge: most of them recall/skills and concepts but the last question about the toxin concentration in an organism was not covered prior to the activity. Students had to reason what may happen if a toxin was introduced. The keystone species question was also open-ended as long as they supported their answer they were correct.
Scientific Inquiry:This assessment was open-ended to a certain extent [if they had a wolf eating an oak tree] they could pretty much complete their poster the way they felt appropriate. Students were simply given the pictures of the organisms and told to create a food web.They had to question what type of organisms each one was [producer/consumer] and where they received their energy from. If they were stuck, I reminded them to think of the environment of where that organism lives and what they may eat and if this didn't trigger their mind, they could use the computers in the classroom as a resource. This forced them to think of the organisms they know in the world and in our own area/town and question how they get their energy, how they're all interrelated, and what would happen if this was disrupted. I was pleased with the outcome of the assessment because students thought this activity was going to be easier then it was and were forced to actually think about how we [humans] interact with the other living things around us!
Did the activity utilize any science practices? Were students asked reason based on their knowledge of food webs, i.e. a scientific model?
7. & 8. - Already addressed above.
9. For your informal assessment, upload scans of the work of three or four students. The work of each student should be on a different page. At the bottom of each students' page, you should describe the level of student understanding, e.g. high, average, or low, and describe how this is indicated in their answers.**An example of how to do this is here**. Note: Remember to name the pages you create carefully, e.g. "Smith S10 - High Performing" instead of "High-Performing."
I was hoping to read your interpretations of each student's work, i.e. what his or her answers told you about your teaching and their learning.
10. For you formal assessment, describe how you think it addressed the concepts you were trying to assess? How did you modify the assessment to address learning differences or special needs?
This assessment addressed a variety of concepts, such as: ecosystems [feeding relationships, energy flow], cycles of matter [water, carbon], and climate change.
The first concept I wanted to assess was ecosystems which is very vague but I focused on feeding relationships between organisms and how energy is transferred. I addressed these concepts in a number of ways: multiple choice questions, matching [carnivore, herbivore, etc. with their definition], short answer, and an essay question. The short answer and essay questions are important because they give students a chance to write what they know and not just choose an answer. They also have the opportunity to receive partial credit whereas the in the multiple choice that is not an option. The short answer questions covered topics from interpreting a food web, and population growth curve graph, and defining what a limiting factor is in their town of Westerly. I gave the students a choice of three essay questions but they were only required to answer two. I like offering three choices because some students may feel comfortable and confident answering essay on certain topics so with a choice of two out of three they have a choice. One of the essays required students to create a food web using organisms of their choice from each of the four trophic levels and discussing what they thought the keystone species was and why. This was a great assessment of whether or not they knew how feeding relationships worked because they had to create a list of organisms on their own and then compile them into a food web showing how the energy is transferred by using arrows. After completing the What a Tangled Web We Weave activity, students should have felt confident on this essay question if they chose to complete it.
What about concepts such as equilibrium and competition? It seems like this idea is important to the idea that the organisms interact to constitute a "system."
The second concept I wanted to address was cycles of matter, specifically the water and carbon cycle. I addressed these concepts in a variety of ways: multiple choice questions, and an essay question. The essay question required students to describe three processes by which carbon cycles throughout the biosphere, why it's important the cycle is not interrupted, and why there is so much controversy about the level of carbon in our atmosphere. Students were able to apply these concepts in a number of different ways before the test. One way was by completing the Traveling Carbon Cycle activity where students pretended to be a carbon atom and cycle throughout the biosphere by rolling a dice and traveling around the classroom to various stations [marked on the wall with instructions on where to travel to next according to the number they rolled]. They marked each station and how they got there on a 'Passport'. Another way students were able to apply their knowledge of the carbon cycle was by watching the film An Inconvenient Truth and completing a series of questions as they watched the film. This addressed the issue of why carbon and the carbon cycle is important and why there is so much controversy about the level of carbon in our atmosphere.
The third concept I wanted to address was climate change. I addressed these concepts through multiple choice questions, short answer, and an essay question. The short answer question had students distinguish between weather [day-to-day conditions] to climate [average temperature and precipitation]. The essay question had students illustrate how a greenhouse works and how the greenhouse effect works on Earth. They also had to discuss: how the greenhouse effect plays a role in global warming, the difference between climate change and global warming, and two ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Students watched the film An Inconvenient Truth and completed questions while watching the film. The film discussed the greenhouse effect, how climate change and global warming is occurring, what humans are doing to increase greenhouse gases, and how we can slow this process from happening. Students also read and responded to various journal and news articles on the issue of climate change and global warming: how animals/organisms are being impacted, how humans play a role in the process, ways to reduce our emission/impact.
The assessment was not modified. Students with IEP's and 504's did not require the test to be modified but needed additional help/more time with their appropriate program [resource, STAR] coordinators and teachers while taking the test.
III. Analysis / Reflection
11. Use both the informal and formal assessments to describe what you learned about what your students understand about these concepts. Use specific examples from both the informal and formal assessment to illustrate your points. What can your students do now that they could not before, and what do they still need to learn? Students will always master certain topics and need additional help/more time with others.
I feel that students overall mastered the ecosystems topics. They had a lot of practice with the topics from creating the food web to the quiz on feeding relationships and population dynamics. It was also something that they could see and apply to their lives and how organisms in their town/environment interact. When evaluating the informal assessment [What a Tangled Web We Weave], students were mostly able to work the kinks out of how a feeding relationships work when completing the two food chains so by the time they had to create the food web, they knew the concept but had a new set of organisms to apply the knowledge they've learned. They could use the knowledge they gained from the informal assessment and apply it to the formal assessment on the food web essay question. Some students had a difficult time creating a large variety of organisms for their food webs but could draw the arrows demonstrating energy transfer and what the keystone species was in their food web.
Students could have some more practice with the concept of global warming and climate change. This was the topic they were most interested in and always had questions. Something that was difficult was to break their misconceptions about the topic. For the most part, they all came in with misconceptions from the media, and their parents and friends. I reminded students about bias in the media, what is factual information about the topic and what is not, and to create their own idea of what global warming and climate change is. I had students read news articles that had a certain political bias and we discussed the differences as well as the similarities. They found this interesting because an issue which seems very factual and scientific actually has a lot of controversy and bias in the media. Prior to watching the film, An Inconvenient Truth, students wrote off the film because Al Gore was in the film and they had their own opinions on Al Gore. I reminded them to put aside their bias/opinions and watch the film for what it is and ignore Al Gore and try to pick out the factual from non-factual information in the film. After watching the film, all the students agreed on what was factual and even formed their own ideas about global warming and how we can reduce our emissions. Although students understood that their was bias in the media regarding global warming, they could've had more practice with the background knowledge: what the greenhouse effect is on Earth, the difference between global warming and climate change, and how our emissions impact global warming and climate change. I feel that they had an introduction to the very large and current topic. On the formal assessment [ecology test], students could answer the essay question regarding global warming but could not elaborate and add detail to their answers. They only knew the surface of a very current issue. When I teach this topic again, I will spend more time on the topic altogether and focus on the science more because it is crucial for students to understand what is really happening.
There are other video-based presentations that argue against climate change? Would it be appropriate to show one of these in conjunction with Inconvenient truth or not? Could students be asked to describe their own views based on the evidence presented?
12. OMIT
13. For your formal assessment only, select one student characteristic, e.g. ability, gender, age, etc) and compare the relative performance of each group. Hint: Use box and whiskers plots to compare the two groups. What do you conclude from this comparison? Why?
The formal assessment was a test on ecology that comprised of:
17 multiple choice questions [34 points]
4 matching questions [8 points]
4 short answer questions [16 points]
2 out of 3 essay questions [16 points]
Total: 27 questions 74 points
With a total of 41 students, the overall average was 68% out of 100. The lowest score was a 31 and the highest score was a 69.5. Considering the students had ample time to apply the concepts in class and were offered the opportunity to stay after school for extra help and an additional review session other than the one given in class, most students did not prepare for the test outside of class based on their test scores. For the most part, students answered the essay questions accurately which showed me that they had some understanding of the topics but the multiple choice was where most students lost the majority of their points. These types of questions are difficult because it's either right or wrong and at 2 points a piece, the points add up quickly. Students often times chose the distracting choice or guessed without thinking through their choice. I reminded students to take their time and use the rest of the test to help them answer other questions in the test.
You should reflect on what distractor they chose as a sign of what they do not understand.
For my analysis, I divided the males and females. There were fifteen females and their average score was a 65% out of 100. There were 26 males and their average score was a 70% out of 100. In class 1 there are only four females which could impact the scores but overall they were pretty much the same. The scores differed greatly throughout the class due to ability.
14. Describe any ways in which you invovled students in self-assessment. How did you communicate what you learned from your informal and formal assessments to your students? What did they do with this information?
Students could self-assess themselves during the formal assessment by referring back to the assignment sheet which outlined what was required for each part of the assignment. This allowed the students to be responsible for their assignments because the requirements were so clearly outlined. I also circled around the room while students were completing the assignment so they could ask me any questions they had during the activity and I could clarify it for them. Students were required to constantly question their decisions [where to place the organisms, placement of energy transfer arrows] and they could talk to each other as well and see how everyone's assignment looked different but was still correct.
Students also completed exit slips at the end of class at least twice a week. This would require students to draw a concept we covered in class that day, list concepts they feel they mastered and which ones they still have questions on, or respond to a prompt. This would show me what students know at the end of a lesson and whether or not I can progress forward or need to readdress a concept. Students also benefit from this because it gives them a chance to apply what they've learned that day and what they need more practice on.
15. Most Important: Compare your objectives for student learning (both in terms of science concepts and practices) to the student learning you observed. What did you learn about your teaching based on the student performances? What will you do differently next time? Why would you make these changes? What, if anything, will you do to improve the assessment instruments?
My objectives for student learning matched what the students actually learned. Really? Why then the low average on your test? I wanted students to know three main concepts: ecosystems, cycles of matter, and climate change. I feel that I gave students multiple paths to practice the concepts discussed in class and actually apply and make real life connections. Ecology is a topic where it is very easy to apply it to real life because it's our life and what we see everyday! Every great teacher I've ever met has always said in order to be an amazing teacher, you have to love your content and you have to love kids. I feel confident in my content and devoted a lot of time and effort into finding and developing activities that would help the students relate the content to their own lives and make it fun too. When I'm developing my lessons, I always ask myself, why should the students care? What makes this important? This helps me to take a step back from the content and really get down to the nitty gritty of the topic and ask who cares?
Nice. I ask again: Did your students understand how competition contributes to the animals being in an eco-"system." I agree that this is a very important concept, since I believe that democracies behave a lot like ecosystems, where individuals sometimes "win" and sometimes "lose," but the system finds and maintains an equilibrium. How might this idea play into how students address the level of effort they put into school and other pursuits?
After looking at the overall student performance during this unit, the students really did a great job and were focused and interested. During class discussions, they were enthusiastically asking questions and going deeper and deeper into the topics all on their own. I really felt like I found exciting, enjoyable activities for the students where they were able to make connections and create a deeper level of understanding of the topics because of them.
Excellent.
When I teach this topic again, I will be sure that my worksheets and instructions are clearer. Sometimes when I'm developing the activities or worksheets, they are clear to me because I created them but may not be clear to others. I will have other colleagues and friends look them over and create instructions that are detailed and set up in an organized and easy to read manner. Another thing I would do differently would be to spend some more time on global warming and climate change. This is a hot topic which the students are extremely interested in. I will plan my unit accordingly so that more time can be spent on this topic and we can dive deeper into the science of global warming so that we we discuss the controversy they will have the foundation they need to form the own opinions.
Formal and Informal Assessment of Student Learning
Name: Jillian Boisse
Westerly High School
Inquiry Biology
I. Assignment Description/Requirements
II. Preparation / Development
1. Reflect on your current assessment practices. How have you been determining what students understand and what they are able to do?
Students are assessed daily whether it be verbal or written. The majority of the work students do is graded because I feel that this is a better representation of what they know versus a culminating test at the end of a unit. Some students have difficulty performing on tests so having more classwork gives these students more opportunities to show me that they know the material.
There are times when class ends and I tell myself "That went great! They really caught on quick" and then I will look at their work for that day and they will have completely missed what the day's objectives were. It can sometimes be frustrating to feel like the students are responding to your questions throughout the lesson very well and then are unable to put it in writing.
These are some reasons why it's necessary to take a step back after the day is done and say "Did they get it?". This is necessary because the following day's lesson depends on it! If they aren't on the same page as you have planned/hoped then you must backtrack and get them on the same page. Otherwise they will just continue to fall more and more behind to the point where they will feel like it is impossible to catch up and possibly give up and check out.
I have assessed their classwork daily and have tried 3,2,1 exit slips which are helpful but must be timed correctly. If students feel rushed to complete them in order to get out of class then they are less likely to fill them out thoughtfully. When they are given ample time to complete them it is a great tool for students to sum up the day and reflect. Just as this is helpful for students, it also helps me as a teacher quickly see who is checked in and who may need redirection/more instruction.
Good.
2. Describe the concept(s) that you are trying to assess in these assignments. Include a link to the appropriate GSE(s) on RIScienceTeachers. Be sure to include in your description your definition, examples of what it is, why students have difficulty with this concept, and why it is important that you teach this topic
For my informal assessment, I created a food web assignment where students were required to compare and contrast various vocabulary terms using Venn diagrams, create two food chains using a group of animals given to them, and to create a large food web again with a group of animals given to them. Students were required to label each organism with its appropriate feeding relationship title [primary producer, primary consumer, etc.].
GSE-Informal Assessment
LS2 (9-11)–4
Students demonstrate an understanding of matter and energy flow in an ecosystem by …
4a diagramming the energy flow in an ecosystem that compares the energy at different trophic levels. (e.g. What inferences can you make about energy “loss”& use?).
For my formal assessment, I created a test on ecology that focused on feeding relationships, population dynamics, ecological pyramids, cycles, climate change, and global warming. The test was comprised of a variety of style questions: multiple choice, matching, short answer, and essays.
GSE's Formal Assessment
LS2 (9-11)-3
Students demonstrate an understanding of equilibrium in an ecosystem by …
3b describing ways in which humans can modify ecosystems and describe and predict the potential impact (e.g. human population growth; technology; destruction of habitats; agriculture; pollution; and atmospheric changes).
LS2 (9-11)–4
Students demonstrate an understanding of matter and energy flow in an ecosystem by …
4a diagramming the energy flow in an ecosystem that compares the energy at different trophic levels. (e.g. What inferences can you make about energy “loss”& use?).
4b explaining how the chemical elements and compounds that make up living things pass through food webs and are combined and recombined in different ways (e.g. nitrogen, carbon cycles, O2, & H2O cycles).
3. (and 7) Describe an informal assessment that you selected, modified, or designed to address this concept. Summarize the instructions you gave your students and Include a link to the informal assessment here as well.
'What A Tangled Web We Weave' is an informal assignment designed to assess students understanding of feeding relationships between various organisms, how energy flows through an ecosystem, and how to construct a food chain and food web when given a group of organisms.
The first part of the activity required students to create various Venn diagrams comparing vocabulary terms related to ecosystems and types of organisms [autotroph vs. heterotroph]. Attached to the assignment were a group of pictures of animals where students had to cut them out and arrange and paste them onto a poster board: on one side of the poster students had to arrange two separate food chains and on the other side, one large food web. After pasting the pictures, students had to label each organism with either producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, or tertiary consumer.
4. (and 8) Create a formal assessment. Describe this assessment, including concepts, types of items, and how it was assessed. Include a link to a copy of the assessment here as well.
I designed a test on ecology that focused on feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem, population dynamics, cycles, ecological pyramids, climate change, and global warming. The test mainly focused on feeding relationships and climate change because those were the topics that we spent more time on during the unit. The test was comprised of a variety of style questions: multiple choice, matching, short answer, and essays. I designed the essays in a way that wouldn't seem intimidating to students. Throughout school, I always felt like the essay portion of tests were intimidating because it begins with one large paragraph of questions and it's easy to miss questions when writing your response. When I wrote the essays, I gave students 3 options of questions and they were required to answer 2. For each question, I broke it up into multiple parts so when they were recording their answers, it would be easier for them to remember to answer each part of the question. This in turn would give them more opportunities to gain full credit since the essay questions were worth the most points on the test.
5. Develop the evaluation criteria (or key) for your formal assessment or link it here.
6. Develop the evaluation criteria (or key) for your informal assessment or link it here. This description should include the assessment's features, how it addresses different **depths of knowledge**, as well as an explanation of how it addresses a **scientific practice related to inquiry**.
Assessment Features: This assessment required students to apply the knowledge they learned concerning the biosphere, feeding relationships, and how energy is transferred. The start of the activity had students create Venn diagrams with various vocabulary terms. This was also a great study tool for students for the quiz and test on Ecology because they could quickly review these diagrams. Once students completed the diagrams, they had to arrange various organisms into two food chains. This helped to ease students into the process of thinking about what certain organisms eat/how they get energy. This was crucial that students understood how the food chain worked before moving onto the food web. The food chain is a simple, singular path of energy versus the complex, multiple paths of energy in a food web. To help students understand how the food chain works, they drew various shapes around certain organisms so they could visually see how it is arranged. For example, the producers had circles around them, primary consumers a square. Once students mastered the concept of a food chain, they created a food web with a large variety of organisms. Students were sometimes puzzled on what a certain organism ate. They knew these organisms but never really questioned what they ate [What does a goldfish eat?]. Another common misconception was the way the energy transferred. In a food chain/web, energy transfer is shown by an arrow. The misconception is that the arrow points to the organism it's eating when in fact it points to the organism that's GETTING the energy. Once students had practice with this concept [in the food chain] they were able to apply it and practice it over and over again in the food web. Students worked in a relaxed setting by cutting, pasting, coloring, and working together but creating their own posters. At the end of the activity students completed a series of discussion questions and realized just how complicated an ecosystem can be!
Depths of Knowledge:This assessment covered a variety of depths of knowledge from recall/reproduction to strategic thinking. Students started off the activity by creating Venn diagrams which was simply seeing if they remembered the vocabulary terms and having them refer back to their notes if they did not. This was put into the assignment solely for student benefit as a refresher/study aide. When students had to create the food chain and web this became more demanding than students expected. Questioning where to put which organism, which way the energy was transferred, and which type of feeding relationship it could be considered as. Even when students felt confident in their placement of the organisms, they realized that certain organisms should be closer to one another for easier arrow placement. When students had trouble thinking of what a certain organism ate [ex: goldfish-because it is so domesticated now], I encouraged them to think of the environment the organism lived in and what it could possibly eat. If this did not probe them, they could use the computers in the classroom as a resource. This was one factor of the assignment where students became most curious. Also, the discussion questions have a variety of depths of knowledge: most of them recall/skills and concepts but the last question about the toxin concentration in an organism was not covered prior to the activity. Students had to reason what may happen if a toxin was introduced. The keystone species question was also open-ended as long as they supported their answer they were correct.
Scientific Inquiry:This assessment was open-ended to a certain extent [if they had a wolf eating an oak tree] they could pretty much complete their poster the way they felt appropriate. Students were simply given the pictures of the organisms and told to create a food web.They had to question what type of organisms each one was [producer/consumer] and where they received their energy from. If they were stuck, I reminded them to think of the environment of where that organism lives and what they may eat and if this didn't trigger their mind, they could use the computers in the classroom as a resource. This forced them to think of the organisms they know in the world and in our own area/town and question how they get their energy, how they're all interrelated, and what would happen if this was disrupted. I was pleased with the outcome of the assessment because students thought this activity was going to be easier then it was and were forced to actually think about how we [humans] interact with the other living things around us!
Did the activity utilize any science practices? Were students asked reason based on their knowledge of food webs, i.e. a scientific model?
7. & 8. - Already addressed above.
9. For your informal assessment, upload scans of the work of three or four students. The work of each student should be on a different page. At the bottom of each students' page, you should describe the level of student understanding, e.g. high, average, or low, and describe how this is indicated in their answers. **An example of how to do this is here**. Note: Remember to name the pages you create carefully, e.g. "Smith S10 - High Performing" instead of "High-Performing."
Samples of Student Work
I was hoping to read your interpretations of each student's work, i.e. what his or her answers told you about your teaching and their learning.
10. For you formal assessment, describe how you think it addressed the concepts you were trying to assess? How did you modify the assessment to address learning differences or special needs?
This assessment addressed a variety of concepts, such as: ecosystems [feeding relationships, energy flow], cycles of matter [water, carbon], and climate change.
The first concept I wanted to assess was ecosystems which is very vague but I focused on feeding relationships between organisms and how energy is transferred. I addressed these concepts in a number of ways: multiple choice questions, matching [carnivore, herbivore, etc. with their definition], short answer, and an essay question. The short answer and essay questions are important because they give students a chance to write what they know and not just choose an answer. They also have the opportunity to receive partial credit whereas the in the multiple choice that is not an option. The short answer questions covered topics from interpreting a food web, and population growth curve graph, and defining what a limiting factor is in their town of Westerly. I gave the students a choice of three essay questions but they were only required to answer two. I like offering three choices because some students may feel comfortable and confident answering essay on certain topics so with a choice of two out of three they have a choice. One of the essays required students to create a food web using organisms of their choice from each of the four trophic levels and discussing what they thought the keystone species was and why. This was a great assessment of whether or not they knew how feeding relationships worked because they had to create a list of organisms on their own and then compile them into a food web showing how the energy is transferred by using arrows. After completing the What a Tangled Web We Weave activity, students should have felt confident on this essay question if they chose to complete it.
What about concepts such as equilibrium and competition? It seems like this idea is important to the idea that the organisms interact to constitute a "system."
The second concept I wanted to address was cycles of matter, specifically the water and carbon cycle. I addressed these concepts in a variety of ways: multiple choice questions, and an essay question. The essay question required students to describe three processes by which carbon cycles throughout the biosphere, why it's important the cycle is not interrupted, and why there is so much controversy about the level of carbon in our atmosphere. Students were able to apply these concepts in a number of different ways before the test. One way was by completing the Traveling Carbon Cycle activity where students pretended to be a carbon atom and cycle throughout the biosphere by rolling a dice and traveling around the classroom to various stations [marked on the wall with instructions on where to travel to next according to the number they rolled]. They marked each station and how they got there on a 'Passport'. Another way students were able to apply their knowledge of the carbon cycle was by watching the film An Inconvenient Truth and completing a series of questions as they watched the film. This addressed the issue of why carbon and the carbon cycle is important and why there is so much controversy about the level of carbon in our atmosphere.
The third concept I wanted to address was climate change. I addressed these concepts through multiple choice questions, short answer, and an essay question. The short answer question had students distinguish between weather [day-to-day conditions] to climate [average temperature and precipitation]. The essay question had students illustrate how a greenhouse works and how the greenhouse effect works on Earth. They also had to discuss: how the greenhouse effect plays a role in global warming, the difference between climate change and global warming, and two ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Students watched the film An Inconvenient Truth and completed questions while watching the film. The film discussed the greenhouse effect, how climate change and global warming is occurring, what humans are doing to increase greenhouse gases, and how we can slow this process from happening. Students also read and responded to various journal and news articles on the issue of climate change and global warming: how animals/organisms are being impacted, how humans play a role in the process, ways to reduce our emission/impact.
The assessment was not modified. Students with IEP's and 504's did not require the test to be modified but needed additional help/more time with their appropriate program [resource, STAR] coordinators and teachers while taking the test.
III. Analysis / Reflection
11. Use both the informal and formal assessments to describe what you learned about what your students understand about these concepts. Use specific examples from both the informal and formal assessment to illustrate your points. What can your students do now that they could not before, and what do they still need to learn?
Students will always master certain topics and need additional help/more time with others.
I feel that students overall mastered the ecosystems topics. They had a lot of practice with the topics from creating the food web to the quiz on feeding relationships and population dynamics. It was also something that they could see and apply to their lives and how organisms in their town/environment interact. When evaluating the informal assessment [What a Tangled Web We Weave], students were mostly able to work the kinks out of how a feeding relationships work when completing the two food chains so by the time they had to create the food web, they knew the concept but had a new set of organisms to apply the knowledge they've learned. They could use the knowledge they gained from the informal assessment and apply it to the formal assessment on the food web essay question. Some students had a difficult time creating a large variety of organisms for their food webs but could draw the arrows demonstrating energy transfer and what the keystone species was in their food web.
Students could have some more practice with the concept of global warming and climate change. This was the topic they were most interested in and always had questions. Something that was difficult was to break their misconceptions about the topic. For the most part, they all came in with misconceptions from the media, and their parents and friends. I reminded students about bias in the media, what is factual information about the topic and what is not, and to create their own idea of what global warming and climate change is. I had students read news articles that had a certain political bias and we discussed the differences as well as the similarities. They found this interesting because an issue which seems very factual and scientific actually has a lot of controversy and bias in the media. Prior to watching the film, An Inconvenient Truth, students wrote off the film because Al Gore was in the film and they had their own opinions on Al Gore. I reminded them to put aside their bias/opinions and watch the film for what it is and ignore Al Gore and try to pick out the factual from non-factual information in the film. After watching the film, all the students agreed on what was factual and even formed their own ideas about global warming and how we can reduce our emissions. Although students understood that their was bias in the media regarding global warming, they could've had more practice with the background knowledge: what the greenhouse effect is on Earth, the difference between global warming and climate change, and how our emissions impact global warming and climate change. I feel that they had an introduction to the very large and current topic. On the formal assessment [ecology test], students could answer the essay question regarding global warming but could not elaborate and add detail to their answers. They only knew the surface of a very current issue. When I teach this topic again, I will spend more time on the topic altogether and focus on the science more because it is crucial for students to understand what is really happening.
There are other video-based presentations that argue against climate change? Would it be appropriate to show one of these in conjunction with Inconvenient truth or not? Could students be asked to describe their own views based on the evidence presented?
12. OMIT
13. For your formal assessment only, select one student characteristic, e.g. ability, gender, age, etc) and compare the relative performance of each group. Hint: Use box and whiskers plots to compare the two groups. What do you conclude from this comparison? Why?
Spreadsheet of Formal Assessment Analysis by Gender
The formal assessment was a test on ecology that comprised of:
- 17 multiple choice questions [34 points]
- 4 matching questions [8 points]
- 4 short answer questions [16 points]
- 2 out of 3 essay questions [16 points]
Total: 27 questions 74 pointsWith a total of 41 students, the overall average was 68% out of 100. The lowest score was a 31 and the highest score was a 69.5. Considering the students had ample time to apply the concepts in class and were offered the opportunity to stay after school for extra help and an additional review session other than the one given in class, most students did not prepare for the test outside of class based on their test scores. For the most part, students answered the essay questions accurately which showed me that they had some understanding of the topics but the multiple choice was where most students lost the majority of their points. These types of questions are difficult because it's either right or wrong and at 2 points a piece, the points add up quickly. Students often times chose the distracting choice or guessed without thinking through their choice. I reminded students to take their time and use the rest of the test to help them answer other questions in the test.
You should reflect on what distractor they chose as a sign of what they do not understand.
For my analysis, I divided the males and females. There were fifteen females and their average score was a 65% out of 100. There were 26 males and their average score was a 70% out of 100. In class 1 there are only four females which could impact the scores but overall they were pretty much the same. The scores differed greatly throughout the class due to ability.
14. Describe any ways in which you invovled students in self-assessment. How did you communicate what you learned from your informal and formal assessments to your students? What did they do with this information?
Students could self-assess themselves during the formal assessment by referring back to the assignment sheet which outlined what was required for each part of the assignment. This allowed the students to be responsible for their assignments because the requirements were so clearly outlined. I also circled around the room while students were completing the assignment so they could ask me any questions they had during the activity and I could clarify it for them. Students were required to constantly question their decisions [where to place the organisms, placement of energy transfer arrows] and they could talk to each other as well and see how everyone's assignment looked different but was still correct.
Students also completed exit slips at the end of class at least twice a week. This would require students to draw a concept we covered in class that day, list concepts they feel they mastered and which ones they still have questions on, or respond to a prompt. This would show me what students know at the end of a lesson and whether or not I can progress forward or need to readdress a concept. Students also benefit from this because it gives them a chance to apply what they've learned that day and what they need more practice on.
15. Most Important: Compare your objectives for student learning (both in terms of science concepts and practices) to the student learning you observed. What did you learn about your teaching based on the student performances? What will you do differently next time? Why would you make these changes? What, if anything, will you do to improve the assessment instruments?
My objectives for student learning matched what the students actually learned. Really? Why then the low average on your test? I wanted students to know three main concepts: ecosystems, cycles of matter, and climate change. I feel that I gave students multiple paths to practice the concepts discussed in class and actually apply and make real life connections. Ecology is a topic where it is very easy to apply it to real life because it's our life and what we see everyday! Every great teacher I've ever met has always said in order to be an amazing teacher, you have to love your content and you have to love kids. I feel confident in my content and devoted a lot of time and effort into finding and developing activities that would help the students relate the content to their own lives and make it fun too. When I'm developing my lessons, I always ask myself, why should the students care? What makes this important? This helps me to take a step back from the content and really get down to the nitty gritty of the topic and ask who cares?
Nice. I ask again: Did your students understand how competition contributes to the animals being in an eco-"system." I agree that this is a very important concept, since I believe that democracies behave a lot like ecosystems, where individuals sometimes "win" and sometimes "lose," but the system finds and maintains an equilibrium. How might this idea play into how students address the level of effort they put into school and other pursuits?
After looking at the overall student performance during this unit, the students really did a great job and were focused and interested. During class discussions, they were enthusiastically asking questions and going deeper and deeper into the topics all on their own. I really felt like I found exciting, enjoyable activities for the students where they were able to make connections and create a deeper level of understanding of the topics because of them.
Excellent.
When I teach this topic again, I will be sure that my worksheets and instructions are clearer. Sometimes when I'm developing the activities or worksheets, they are clear to me because I created them but may not be clear to others. I will have other colleagues and friends look them over and create instructions that are detailed and set up in an organized and easy to read manner. Another thing I would do differently would be to spend some more time on global warming and climate change. This is a hot topic which the students are extremely interested in. I will plan my unit accordingly so that more time can be spent on this topic and we can dive deeper into the science of global warming so that we we discuss the controversy they will have the foundation they need to form the own opinions.
Good.